Sticks and Stones

So, good evening, good evening, welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This is where every day we get together, we get into God's Word, and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, 2021, we'll make it through all the wisdom literature. Well, we are at Proverbs chapter 13 verses, or Proverbs chapter 12 verses 13 through 19. Why don't we go ahead and have some coffee, we'll pray and get into God's Word.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day. We thank you for your word. We pray now that as we read your word, we would sit at your feet and we would learn. We pray that you would watch over us and care for us. We pray that we would be faithful children and that your Holy Spirit would be teaching us. In Jesus' name, Amen. All right, here we go.
Proverbs chapter 12, beginning at verse 13. The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips. but the righteous will come through trouble. A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, and the recompense of a man's hand will be rendered to him." What's this saying? The wicked will be ensnared by the transgression of his lips. Be careful what you say.
It's gonna come back. It's gonna come back. Oh man, just today one of my kids convicted me about not speaking bad words, not speaking loving and kind words to the children. Hold on. Do we build other people up with our words? We can't say whatever we want. We can't say whatever we want to people at work, or people in our family, or whatever. We have to speak words of wisdom and love. The recompense of a man's hands will be rendered to him. It's going to be repaid. A man is satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth. Speak good things. Be satisfied with speaking good things.
Verse 15 and 16, the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise. A fool's wrath is known at once, but a prudent man covers shame. All right, a fool, a fool does whatever they want, because I'm not gonna listen to anyone. I do whatever I want.
Not so with the wise, right? The wise person humbles themselves, wants to hear from different people. What do you think about this? Give me some wisdom. Get some advice from people. A fool's wrath is known at once. Oh man, this cuts me to the core. A fool's wrath is known at once, but a prudent man covers shame. This is what James is talking about when he talks about...
Sorry, the computer went quiet there. This is what the book of James is talking about when it says, So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God. Don't be quick to wrath, but be slow to speak. Be quick to hear. Verses 17 through 19.
He who speaks truth declares righteousness. but a false witness, deceit. If we want to be those who are speaking truth, we speak righteousness, but the wicked speak deceit. It's the Satan who is the liar from the beginning. So do we follow after the ways of Christ, speaking only truth, or do we show that we're really of the devil?
These are hard things to say, And they pierce me too. But this is the way of Christ. This is loving our neighbor as ourself. We want people to tell us the truth. We tell others the truth. Okay, verse 18. There is one who speaks like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health. I'm just gonna go ahead and show this to you today.
It's never any fun when God's word is laid bare. But this was when my daughter came in, I was in my office, I had just reprimanded Nathan too harshly, and this is what it said, congrats dad, mad face, mad face, mad face. Normally I would laugh at this, but then Debra goes on and she wrote inside here that what I said was wicked, wicked, wicked. Apologize to God now, sinner. I am mad at you dad.
She was really hurt. And it wasn't even something I'd said to her. It was how harshly I had reprimanded her brother. And said something in my anger that was sinful. And my little eight year old daughter came in here weeping. Wrote me a note. Because my words had pierced her heart. Half an hour later. After I had apologized to Nathan, after I had apologized to her, I had to also confess my sin to God and ask her to pray to God for me.
This is real. There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will pierce your soul and hurt you. You need to be careful. heart. We can't say whatever we want. The Lord taught me that one hard today.
The truthful lip shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Do we speak truth? Will we be established forever? We have a lying tongue that's going to be swept away. Do we trust in the one, Jesus Christ, who every word that he said was true? He came with grace and truth. Do we follow after his footsteps? Do we go after his ways? What verse there, verses 13 through 19, speaks to you? Which one is instruction to you?
Feel free to let me know down in the comments. Let's go ahead and pray. Father, we pray that you would teach us not to just be hearers of these words, but doers. God, we pray that we would have control over our own spirits. For indeed, it is a fruit of the Spirit to have self-control. Lord, we pray that we would cover over shame and that we would be slow to speak, slow to wrath, but we'd be swift to hear. Lord I pray that you would give us speech that would build others up rather than tearing them down. Actions that would promote righteousness rather than destruction.
In Jesus' name. Amen. I pray that you walk in the ways of Jesus Christ. I pray that where there's sin it's repented of. Please pray that for me as well as we walk in this path. knowing that the only reason why we can is because the Spirit of Christ lives in us. I'll see you tomorrow.